At this point, the Boston Red Sox seem to be in on all the key free-agent pitchers. But at some point, they’ll have to start ticking some off their list.
Not having an ace atop the rotation arguably cost the Red Sox their season, so being aggressive in going after free agents is the bare minimum for Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow and his staff. Finding someone who can dominate the opposition every fifth day is difficult, but the Red Sox certainly have to try.
One free agent has proven to be the one of the most dominant hurlers in the game–when he’s on the mound. But it’s that pitcher’s inconsistent availability that has a Red Sox insider convinced Boston should run in the opposite direction.
Recent reports have linked the Red Sox to ex-San Francisco Giants star and two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. However, John Tomase of NBC Sports Boston recently said Breslow and the Red Sox should do everything they can not to sign Snell, citing durability questions as his main counterargument.
“While past durability is no guarantee of future durability — the Red Sox learned that lesson the hard way with David Price, not to mention Lucas Giolito — past frailty is a neon flashing danger sign, and Snell is effectively glowing,” Tomase said.
“He has topped 130 innings exactly twice in his nine-year career, and both times he reached 180 frames while taking home the Cy Young hardware. If you’re going to pay him nine figures, you’d like a guarantee of full-time production.”
In 2024, Snell made 20 starts and pitched 104 innings, compiling a 3.12 ERA. The Red Sox would certainly be hoping for more of a workload from any starter they signed, but Snell’s tantalizing strikeout rate, combined with his 1.29 ERA from July onward, are certainly tempting.
Free agency is tricky because opinions are always different, sometimes within the same front office. Some might see Snell as the perfect option for Boston, and maybe he’ll prove to be exactly that. But one thing is now clear: Snell has his doubters as well.
